Catch Me
by Lady Hiko
Summary: The man with horns like the Diablo himself, the one who ate my very mother, haunts me and binds me whether I'm asleep or awake. I am but a mere puppet, a tool to enhance his regime. When I ran, he sent my brother to kill me. Can someone catch me?
1. Prologue

Title: Catch Me  
  
Author: Lady Hiko  
  
Chapter: Prologue Genre: Inu Yasha Fan Fiction  
  
Characters: Kouga, Aphreal, Sesshomaru  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: However much I love Inu Yasha and the gang, I do not own them and it will never change. The only characters that belong to me are Aphreal, her father, her sister Anathema and her brother Antithesis.   
  
Summary:   
  
Aphreal Sin is attacked by her brother and falls into the Inu Yasha world where she is discovered by Sesshomaru and crew, and then promptly dies. Under Rin's prompting, he revives Aphreal and also under Rin's prodding, keeps Aphreal around under the guise of helping her get back on her feet and healed.   
  
Need to know:  
  
"…" = words  
  
'…' = thoughts  
  
… = telepathic speaking  
  
Iie = Japanese word for no. There will be apart where it is screamed and will therefore be extended.  
  
Tensuseiga - Sword of Healing and revival  
  
Tetsusaiga- "Steel Cleaving Fang" Sword powerful enough to kill 100 demons in one swoop  
  
Youkai- Demon  
  
Inu-Youkai- Dog Demon  
  
Hanyou- half demon  
  
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Demonic voices whispered all around her, their words echoing like screams within her head.  
  
"No!" she whispered as her words turned to yells while she held her clawed fingers over her dagger-like ears. "Get out of my head…GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"  
  
Amidst the crimson darkness stood an embodiment of white. Tall with golden eyes and an ivory split-cloak stood a white haired woman hanyou, before her was a tall blue haired demon-man in a cloak of human skin.  
  
"It's not real…it's not real…" she whispered to herself as he just stood and grinned with his vile wordless mouth. Being a telepath, he restricted verbal directive to only the most necessary occasions.  
  
You think it's not real, eh?  
  
At his side were strapped two simple scabbards against a dark leather belt. One encompassed the hilt of what would appear to be a fiery sword, for it glowed with the fury of the sun. The other, an distraught emptiness upon which nothing physical could be seen. Putting his hand close to wear a melee handle would be above the hallow scabbard a beautiful ebony handle faded slowly to being. Her golden eyes widened, her heart racing as from the air that just moments before had been a void came a sword of pure substance.  
  
Care to test that theory?  
  
As the now unhilted blade contacted the stale air around it, a crackling emerald lighting coursed its way slowly down to its merciless tip and he thrust it into her right eye. What was once gold spilled to the ground, leaving her eye a clear blue as blood poured past her fangs. She held her hand over her eye, the other one watching the gold wash over her clawed fingertips. A low growl erupted from her throat as she used her other hand to send a scroll of fire in his direction. This, of course, missed, and her other eye was to pay the price for her folly.   
  
With dire satisfaction at his sister's disabling blindness, the blue haired man sheathed his black blade and placed his hand upon the other. Its infernal glow reacted instantly with his tactile contact, and a elaborate crescent moon upon its hilt focused itself below his grip. He pulled the weapon quickly from its protective birth and sliced hastily at her. For a second nothing happened, flashes of burning light streamed through the air until the blood within her pushed its way to the surface.   
  
Within that instant blood began to solemnly flow from her cheeks, wrist and ankle. She curled within her self trying desperately to find some warmth from the cold world around her, yet as she wrapped both her arms around her waist a deep fear came upon her. Her thighs, had suffered three treacherous blows, and her navel another four. Blood poured from under her arms as well.  
  
Burning and bleeding on the callous earth below her, she lifted her defying yet reminiscent blue eyes to him. She unclenched her shaking palms and a purifying blue light shot ominously from it. With a simple yet desolating glance the light reflected quickly upon him and reciprocated its motion towards its sender. A snowy white tail grew behind her as this light emitted itself back onto her tattered body.  
  
I don't know why father bothered to try to return you to him, you waste of flesh!  
  
Taking the hilt of the sword, he heaved it into the air aiming to end its journey with no more than the silent sounds of a departing soul.  
  
Die, Aphreal.  
  
Glowing in smoldering blue light, the moon marked hilt smashed into her forehead, intensifying its light as it appeared to push through her.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
Her scream echoed harmoniously through both present minds as her body experienced the agony of being ripped in two. When the pain seemed to peak, suddenly she felt as though she was falling, swallowed up by the sounds of her screams. Fearing the silence that followed the all too common sounds of a unheard death she continued to cry aloud. Her chest was burning, not only from the over exertion she placed upon herself by the unwavering screaming, but from the blackness it slowly became. Her body slowly darkened with a charcoal composure and the screams stopped as the murky ash her body burned to become passed her lungs. The cloaked man turned on his heel, his compassion for the ash that remained of his sister blew away just as she did in the wind. Noticing her old sword on the harsh earth, he threw it toward the sky. It glistened for a moment, like a falling star before it burns softly out of existence and slowly descended into the waters below. As the fallen item hit the still aquatic surface the skies ceased to glow red and the water boiled.  
  
I guess Father didn't need Aphreal after all. She barely gave me a headache.  
  
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Walking slowly through the forest, a human child asleep on the beast behind him, moved the great Demon Lord Sesshomaru. Jaken walked a few paces behind, frantically trying to avoid the claws and hooves of "Ah and Un".   
  
Out of the blue of the night came a rumbling shriek that echoed throughout the forest and a eerily unfamiliar scent. Stirring from her sleep, Rin blearily asked, "What's going on Sesshomaru-sama?"  
  
"I don't know," he whispered, his uncertainty disturbing him somewhat. Looking to Jaken he mumbled, "Take care of Rin for me. I'm leaving to investigate."  
  
Before Jaken could even mutter a 'yes my lord', the demonic prince left in the direction of the disturbance of his forest.  
  
The further he went, the deeper the footfall, the louder the disturbance became, until unexpectedly it just stopped. He entered the star bit clearing in front of him where the trees went arching into the sky and created vast shadows below in which a small brook flowed from. In the center - covered in the light of the moon - was a luminescent white form.   
  
She lurched suddenly, her body shaking. She could smell him. She could smell the positively terrifying aura he held about him and she knew her presence was known.  
  
"What are you doing in my forest?" he expressionlessly demanded.  
  
She lifted her head to look at him and shuddered, for his voice wrapped and sifted through her like ice.  
  
He back-stepped as she gazed upon him with her dripping golden eyes and stood in shock to the similar resemblance to himself that she held. With the various bruises, burns, and cuts, he would have sworn she was directly out of his pack. She heaved again and blood spattered past her fangs…blood with a peculiar origin and scent.   
  
He flinched and asked, "What are you? The scent of a demon clings to you, but yet I smell something else."  
  
Sneezing blood, she replied, "Half angel."  
  
He scoffed. "You're lying. Angels don't exist."  
  
She sneered from her place on the ground, "This coming from a demon himself. What a hypocrite."  
  
Thoughts of ripping the creature in its red cloak in half danced in his head as he flattened his gaze. "Don't irritate me. You're not worth the kill considering you're almost dead as it is."  
  
"Don't flatter me."  
  
"Such impudence! No one speaks to LORD SESSHOMARU that way!" A little annoying toad demon scurried onto the scene followed shortly by a small six-year-old child.  
  
"Jaken be nice!" yelled the small child as she proceeded to kick him in the rear. Aphreal was already beginning to like the kid. The small child walked over to 'Lord Sesshomaru' and promptly tugged on his pant leg. "Sesshomaru-sama, what is she?"  
  
The foreboding demon peered down at the small child and remained silent. Aphreal could already tell if it weren't for that child's presence, she'd probably would have been diced into tiny pieces.   
  
Figuring that she wouldn't get her first question answered, the small child asked, "Sesshomaru-sama, what's wrong with her?"  
  
Sesshomaru sensed a change in the half demoness as her eyes widened and she sputtered and twitched. The small brook behind her held a twinge of pink from the creature's blood.  
  
"She's dying Rin, probably from wounds acquired in battle. It won't be long now…"  
  
Slowly Aphreal's seizing slowed to a halt and just as Sesshomaru said, her body began to calm. Her eyes, painful and burning, had dulled to an ache and felt heavy and the thought of closing them seemed almost ethereal.  
  
'So this is what death feels like. It's not as bad as I thought it would be…'  
  
"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!" the girl cried. Apparently the sight of seeing the hanyou die was disturbing her. "You can't let her die! She's just like you! Rin wants her to live…"  
  
'Poor kid,' Aphreal groggily thought to herself. 'I really can't help her in that department…' She shakily drew in a breath, musing slightly as it burned and as she released it, she let go and perished.  
  
"IIIIEEEEEE!!!" Rin screamed, her voice ripping through the treetops. "Rin doesn't want her to die! Rin doesn't want you to die! IIIIEEEEEE!!!"   
  
Something dawned in the demon prince. Apparently due to the appearance the hanyou's wounds had lent her, Rin had taken her under the image of Sesshomaru himself. Seeing the look-alike dying had apparently given the child the impression that he would sometime die during her lifetime and it scared her.  
  
'At least someone would miss me if I were suddenly gone.'  
  
"Quiet Rin. Please, for me," he said patiently waiting for her wailing to stop. When she did, he asked, "Do you think she looks like me?" Rin nodded, so he continued, "What do you want me to do about it?"  
  
"Heal her," Rin stated firmly as he stared on in shock. "Heal her the same way you do Jaken."  
  
He stood there and considered it a moment before stepping up to the corpse.  
  
"M-My Lord! Don't tell me you're going to fill that silly child's request!"  
  
"Stand aside, Jaken," he coolly stated as he drew the blade. Jaken immediately ran from site as the demon lord held the blade high in the air.  
  
With the power of sight that the blade had given him, he could already see the hellish demon imps fall upon her. However, they seemed to take an unusually keen interest in this one's soul, much unlike when they were festering after Jaken's. 'Perhaps she may have been telling the truth,' he considered as he swiped the blade swiftly across her form, destroying the imps and healing her somewhat.  
  
Eyes suddenly painfully bursting into focus, she drew first breath at a peel, her lungs almost collapsing on themselves in the force. 'Am I in Hell already?'  
  
'Her wounds haven't healed completely?' Sesshomaru thought in wonder as he stared perplexed at the creature before him and at his demonic blade.  
  
Her blue eyes dodging in and out of focus, Aphreal slowly lifted her clawed hand to her face and shook in surprise as the child's hand was now on hers.  
  
"Rin! What are you doing over there! Get back here now!" a shrill voice yelled from beyond her shaky sight.  
  
"Leave her be Jaken. The hanyou will not harm Rin if she wishes to continue to live," Sesshomaru breathed coolly as he stared at the strange scene before him.  
  
Ignoring the shrill noises of Jaken - an annoying creature she placed a mental note to maim later - she belligerently tried to focus her eyes on the girl before her.  
  
"Who are you?" the child asked.  
  
"Aphreal," she croaked. "Aphreal Sin."  
  
Upon uttering the last word, the world fell black once again, but under the careful guidance of the child and inu-youkai, her heart did not stop. 


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Catch Me  
  
Author: Lady Hiko  
  
Genre: Inu Yasha  
  
Chapter: 1  
  
Characters: Kouga, Aphreal, Sesshomaru  
  
Rating PG-13 for profanity  
  
Disclaimer: Ooh! I'm so dizzy! stumbles around What's my name again? What, it's not Rumiko? Oh darn, I'm not the owner of this show!  
  
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Last time on Catch Me:  
  
"Stand aside, Jaken," he coolly stated as he drew the blade. Jaken immediately ran from site as the demon lord held the blade high in the air.  
  
With the power of sight that the blade had given him, he could already see the hellish demon imps fall upon her. However, they seemed to take an unusually keen interest in this one's soul, much unlike when they were festering after Jaken's. 'Perhaps she may have been telling the truth,' he considered as he swiped the blade swiftly across her form, destroying the imps and healing her somewhat.  
  
Eyes suddenly painfully bursting into focus, she drew first breath at a peel, her lungs almost collapsing on themselves in the force. 'Am I in Hell already?'  
  
'Her wounds haven't healed completely?' Sesshomaru thought in wonder as he stared perplexed at the creature before him and at his demonic blade.  
  
Her blue eyes dodging in and out of focus, Aphreal slowly lifted her clawed hand to her face and shook in surprise as the child's hand was now on hers.  
  
"Rin! What are you doing over there! Get back here now!" a shrill voice yelled from beyond her shaky sight.  
  
"Leave her be Jaken. The hanyou will not harm Rin if she wishes to continue to live," Sesshomaru breathed coolly as he stared at the strange scene before him.  
  
Ignoring the shrill noises of Jaken - an annoying creature she placed a mental note to do something about later - she belligerently tried to focus her eyes on the girl before her.  
  
"Who are you?" the child asked.  
  
"Aphreal," she croaked. "Aphreal Sin."  
  
Upon uttering the last word, the world fell black once again, but under the careful guidance of the child and Inu-youkai, her heart did not stop.  
  
Aphreal awoke several hours later on the desolate, frigid ground. Wondering as to why she wasn't on her mat, she begrudgingly began to open her eyes, making it only halfway before closing them swiftly with the dizzying sensation. 'Why am I so woozy?' she thought to herself as she attempted to lift a hand to massage her forehead. Key word, attempted. Just from the simple movement of trying to lift her wounded arm she was hit with a wave of nausea.  
  
"You shouldn't try to move yet," a male voice said monotonously from nearby.  
  
Thinking that opening her eyes would most likely make things a hell of a lot worse, she opted to sniff the air to test her location and whom was speaking to her. The first thing that hit her was the overwhelming scent of blood; it flowed in and around her senses, filling her mind with its presence. The second thing is that she smelled a full demon male close by, followed by the miniscule scent of a small toad demon and little girl far away.   
  
'What the hell?' she thought to herself. None of these beings smelled familiar, in fact nothing smelled familiar except…  
  
She painfully tore her eyes fully open, marveling as gold shook from her eyelashes and gaped at her blood caked form. The only familiar scent was that of her own blood smeared all over her body.  
  
"We were going to have Jaken bathe you, but it did not seem sensible to move you until your wounds healed more fully," he coolly replied before continuing. "You had better be thankful for Rin, hanyou, for you should be dead and would be, if not for her."  
  
'Dead?' she thought and that's when it all came back to her. The attack, the blood, the burning, and then, death. She remembered the small annoying toad demon and was rather thankful that she was too wounded to wash earlier, for she did not want to be touched. From here he already smelled as though he himself was in dire need of a bath.   
  
"Where am I?" she asked aloud.  
  
"My forest."  
  
"I know that," she whispered irritably. "Where is this forest?"  
  
'Moron,' Sesshomaru thought to himself before answering, "You are west of the human village Edo, if that will answer your question."  
  
"Oh…" she replied, her words trailing off as she considered the information. 'Edo? Where the hell is Edo?'  
  
Almost seeing the gears turning in her head, he looked away and mumbled, "I suggest you get some sleep. We depart at dawn and if you are to continue with us, you had better regain some strength. If you cannot walk, you will be left behind for other demons to eat you, for only the human rides the beast."  
  
At the mentioning of the human child, Aphreal turned and squinted at her.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
Gesturing with his right hand as it rested on his knee, he stated, "She is my human cub. I resurrected her - same as I did you - after the imbecilic wolf tribe had slain her."  
  
From the tone in his voice she could tell that this was a subject to be dropped and did not pursue it further. Instead she continued to ask, "Who exactly are you?"  
  
He turned and looked at her fully for the first time that evening. "I am Lord Sesshomaru. That is all you need to know." He then proceeded to turn himself away and walked over to his human cub before lying to fall asleep. Aphreal soon closed her eyes and was pulled in as well. Apparently being dead is an exhausting business.   
  
It wasn't long before dawn broke and she was forced awake.  
  
"Come on! Wake up! Rin don't want you left behind!" she heard accompanied a jostling motion as she peeled her sore eyes open.  
  
Slowly stirring, two things struck her: one, she was really cold, and two, she was really sore. She sincerely considered just laying there and letting the beasts eat her. Dying the first time didn't hurt that bad, why would this time?   
  
"Please…" the little girl whined, the tone tugging at her heart and making her begrudgingly move. The actual process was a lot harder than thought though as she tried to stand and was forced to move at a snail's pace. If she thought she hurt before, it was no comparison to now, for she felt as though every muscle had managed to rip at the same moment.  
  
"Augh!" she uttered as she teetered and fell again. Certain wounds at her thighs and side had managed to reopen. "Shit…"  
  
Rin immediately scurried to her side and tried to lift her to her feet; however, Sesshomaru just tossed over his shoulder, "Move hanyou. Move on your own and do not accept the help of a child."  
  
'This guy is really starting to tick me off,' Aphreal thought as she dragged her feet to a standing position with Rin's now demure gestures. Every movement was tainted by pain as she stumbled in the direction in which Sesshomaru was walking.  
  
The sun was nearly at its peak when Sesshomaru finally allowed them to pause. Currently Aphreal was being steadily suspended between the heads of Ah and Un while Rin rode carefully behind her, but in stopping, she fell. Her chest contracted but she didn't make a sound, such was her exhaustion. The blood loss kept her at so little energy. Rin immediately hopped off the beast and ran over to the hanyou, the fear that she may have died again overriding her orders. Sesshomaru stood curiously close by watching the odd display before him. How could Rin have taken so quickly to this hanyou?  
  
Wind wafted through their area and swirled around the lord's face, bringing him a rather recognizable scent followed swiftly by the loud yell of, "Sankotetsu!" His amber eyes narrowed at how near the scent was. A half smile almost dawned on the stoic lord's face as he thought of the close proximity of Inu Yasha's current battle. Within minutes they would stumble upon their little camp, taking away any reason for him to even bother to move.  
  
"Jaken," he said, not removing his eyes from the direction of the skirmish. "Take Rin away from here."  
  
"Mi lord?"  
  
"Do it now Jaken. It will not be spoken twice."  
  
"But Aphreal…?" Rin piped up, concern clearly evident in her voice.  
  
"The hanyou will be fine. Now leave."  
  
Uneasily nodding, Rin ran with Jaken deeper into the woods. He needed not to worry; he could pick up her scent later without difficulty.   
  
"Hiraikotsu!"  
  
The battle was getting closer; the giant boomerang could already be seen dipping in and out of the trees.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!"  
  
Light shattered through the forest in five golden beams signifying the end of the encounter and alerted the red hanyou of his presence.  
  
"You know, you didn't have to break my trees in order to settle what dispute you had with whatever monstrosity that was," replied the white lord in his brand of sarcasm.  
  
"Keh, whatever. What do you want?" The red hanyou snorted.  
  
"Ah dear little brother, can't this Sesshomaru come but for a simple visit?"  
  
"Of course not! You're just a blood thirsty monster that's after the Tetsusaiga!" a young woman in rather queer tiny robes (Kagome) yelled from behind the red hanyou. "Why don't you just give up on it? You can't touch it anyways let alone use it!"  
  
"Ah, but you see I intend to rectify two problems at once by using the added help of Tokijin. If I had another arm, I could add the Tetsusaiga to my collection."  
  
The red hanyou's eyes widened in realization at Sesshomaru's intentions and growled in response, "I like my arm where it is and no mutt like you is gonna take it!"  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes leveled as he coolly replied, "Take heed to which you call a half breed. This Sesshomaru is pure, whereas you are not… I could take an arm from your nosy companion if it suits you, but in the end I will have an arm AND your sword."  
  
Noticeably disturbed, Inu Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga whereas Sesshomaru drew Tokijin.  
  
"Kagome, get back! I don't want you to lose a limb!" Inu Yasha belted behind him.  
  
"Better do as the master says," Myouga yelled as he hopped on Kagome's shoulder.   
  
"Besides, your aim is bad with two arms, let alone one armed!" Inu Yasha tossed over his shoulder. Kagome had to bait her breath not to 'sit' him before the fight.  
  
Tired of their little repartee, the demon lord bolted at the red hanyou at alarming speeds, barely missing the left arm. Inu Yasha had casually stepped to the side.  
  
"Testing your blade already, eh?" Inu Yasha said in a flippant tone. He was being all too cocky for the demon lord's taste. What had changed in his little impure brother?  
  
Slightly miffed, Sesshomaru switched between his poison whip and blade, the red hanyou easily dodging one, but suffered the biting blow of the poison band. Driving his brother into the ground brought a slight smile to his face as he chided, "You should know better than to stray from your place. I must say, the dirt suits you well. You must taste it often."  
  
A low growl came from the red hanyou on the ground. He knew the demon lord was referring to Kagome's sit command and it peeved him to know that Sesshomaru knew. "Bastard…Sankotetsu!"  
  
The youkai lord sidestepped it easily, the blades barely nipping a few stray hairs from his tail and unknowingly scarcely missing the unconscious hanyou on the ground.   
  
Waves of energy scorched the earth below them as the two violent blades crossed, the wind being cast in all directions with the motions. It was becoming highly dangerous to watch nearby, causing the Inu-hanyou's companions to consider moving further away.  
  
"Kagome-chan, I think we should distance ourselves. It is unlikely that we will be able to help in this fight…" Sango's words were brought to a halt as she and Miroku abruptly noticed the same thing. "Is that what I think it is?"   
  
Barely unscathed from the current battle was some creature on the soil of Sesshomaru's side. Miraculously the various blasts of energy narrowly missed it each time. "Is that…" Sango began.  
  
"…a woman?" Miroku finished. Apparently his female radar had kicked in, for - in general - it was sensitive enough to pick up a woman's presence within 500 yards. However, youkai women were harder for him to trace.  
  
What was a woman doing wandering around with that monster?  
  
A stray Sankotetsu grazed the woman, causing fresh blood to mingle into the twisting air; the demon lord's keen sense of smell immediately picked it up. He paused for a moment and adjusted his stance to block the next onslaught. The action, although tiny in its precise movement, did not go unnoticed by the hanyou brother as he quirked an eyebrow and asked, "What are you shielding over there?"  
  
He sniffed the air and blanched, "A female?!" His face paled. Sesshomaru had always seemed of an uncaring and callous personality and the simple thought of a woman being in his company just did not sit right. "What business do you have with a female? Captured her for an afternoon feast?"  
  
Deep within the dwelling of the back of his mind, there was a galling sweat drop as Sesshomaru replied, "You and I both know that I do not eat youkai…"  
  
Inu Yasha sniffed again, "Your sniffer must be out of order then, 'cause that aint no youkai. Unless I'm wrong and my nose fell off, that is a hanyou, although I don't know what the other half is. Isn't it a bit below you to be in the company of us 'half-breeds'?"  
  
As the youkai lord's expression resumed its flatness, the miko's attention was finally drawn to the reddish lump on the ground. It had a hinting lilting glow to it, but its presence was not that of a Shikon shard. The wind resumed its natural course and in her new position Kagome could without difficulty pick up the scent of stale blood. It was so old yet so fresh that canine-ish senses weren't needed to draw out the metallic scent of it.   
  
Kagome then took her turn at growling before yelling at his silence. "Even if it is below him to be in a hanyou's company, apparently it is not below him to let them bleed to death. My sense of smell isn't all that great and even I can smell the blood on her from all the way over here. I thought you were vile before but now you truly disgust me. Even I thought you couldn't sink so low…"  
  
The tirade was cut short as she suddenly realized the flat stare suddenly turned cold. Although there is very little distinction between the two emotions, she caught the hint and silenced.  
  
The current discourse was beginning to irritate him. Sure, maybe it was a bit harsh for him to let her bleed, but it was none of their friggen business. He didn't even know why he was helping that hanyou in the first place. Why, if it weren't for Rin he would have left her there dead. Rin…that's right. He promised Rin that the hanyou would come back alright. His mind then drifted back to previous battles with his brother. As it seemed, hanyou innately heal slower and the human seemed to speed the healing of his brother somehow. His scent always seemed to change as if some foreign substance were clung to him…  
  
Testing the air, he picked the foreign scent from the rest and resolved the source was the wench's enormous yellow sack.  
  
Without further ado, he moved once again at alarming speeds as zipped past his brother, tore the sack from the wench, retrieved the bloody hanyou and took flight in the general direction Rin went. The entire scenario happened all within a matter of seconds and it took minutes for the Inu Yasha gang to register what happened.  
  
"HE STOLE THE RAMEN!"  
  
Ignoring Inu Yasha's mournful raving, Kagome pondered what just happened. 'He stole my pack, but I doubt it was because of the ramen. Was Sesshomaru actually using reasoning for others instead of just himself? Was he actually being considerate? Did he steal my pack for the medical kit?'  
  
"MY RAMEN!!!"  
  
It wasn't long for the irritating ranting to ebb as it was suddenly cut off by a loud shout of, "AUGH! I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT! INU YASHA, SIT!"  
  
BLAM!  
  
"Jaken-sama…" Rin muttered. Jaken became leery as she never added '-sama' to his name unless she wanted something. "Rin is worried. What if something went wrong? Why aren't Sesshomaru-sama and Aphreal-sama back yet?"   
  
"Aphreal-sama?!" Jaken sputtered. "She is a hanyou and is to be treated as such! Why if Sesshomaru-sama heard you say that he would just…"  
  
"Tell you to be silent, Jaken," a cool voice said from the tiny toad.  
  
"S-Sesss-Sessho…" he barely squeaked.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama!" A little white and orange blur rushed past him and latched onto the white prince's leg. He paused a moment to pet the girl's head before bending to gently let the giant yellow sack drop, followed shortly by the hanyou. A cloud of medical and other scents burst from the bag, causing the girl to cover her nose and complain, "Ewe! What's that smell?"  
  
Ignoring the little girl's reaction, he proceeded to rifle through the sack trying to figure out the weird scent that often clung to his brother. He picked up the first item, a moderately sized blue thing covered in what appeared to be lace. It had two bumps on it with a strand to connect them and four strands sprouting from them, two looping back to the bumps. "That won't help." He threw it aside, the item landing on Rin's head. She immediately began to play with it a little bit before deciding to snap it under her chin.   
  
The next item wasn't much better, for it was lacy as well and seemed to go with the first item. It had three holes and was moderate in size. Once again he threw it to the side, landing near to Rin. Immediately she placed it on Jaken's head.  
  
"Sessho-" Jaken protested.  
  
"Be silent Jaken," Sesshomaru interrupted. He needed his concentration on the scent of the particular objects needed.  
  
He came upon the third set of items in the sack. Although the box smelled slightly of blood and medicine, it was not the same scent. For the third time he threw the items to the side near towards Rin. Upon seeing the bright blue packaging the child opened the box eagerly and was overjoyed at the squishy objects packaged in pale pink. Gingerly she tore open the packaging, finding half of the surface of the object inside sticky, and half soft like a sponge. Although it smelled slightly odd, to Rin it would make her sandals much softer. So placing the soft side towards herself, she attached the pads to her shoes. They delighted her with their softness as she anticipated the next item that Sesshomaru would throw from what - to her - was a magical bag.   
  
Becoming rather peeved, Sesshomaru quickly sniffed the next three items before briskly throwing them towards Rin. None smelled like what he was after, although one smelled strongly of a plant he once ate.   
  
Not even letting them fully hit the ground, Rin ran to catch the next three items. One was tubular in shape with a little weird brush attached to it, another was shaped like a square with a half circle on top, and the last item was tubular as well, but much larger than the first. She took the first tubular object and sniffed it. It smelled good enough, so she tasted it. The taste wasn't to her liking and the texture was too grainy, which gave her the idea that maybe it wasn't food…maybe it was some sort of paint and the brush was to apply it. Immediately she went over to Jaken and began painting designs in white on him with the brush. Once satisfied, she fashioned the brush onto her kimono to save for later like a businessman would fashion a tie in the future. She opened the second item and found that it smelled good as well; however, it didn't feel at all like a liquid like the last item. Not knowing what to do with it, she set it aside for later and opened her last gift, the second tubular item. Even before it was already opened, she realized that it smelled like the first item, but more powerful. Knowing that she didn't like the last one in taste, she didn't put any in her mouth. Still… it still did smell good to her. Perhaps it was some form of perfume. So she squeezed a bit out of the tube and rubbed it onto her skin. First she delighted in the fact that it smelled good, but then she freaked out that her skin felt icy cold and yet hot at the same time. Then she could barely feel her skin at all.  
  
"AAAIIIEEEEE!!!! Sesshomaru-sama!" she yelled, flailing her arms in the air. "I can't feel my arms!"  
  
Smelling the odd scent on Rin, Sesshomaru stopped in his tirade of throwing cooking supplies from the bag and latched onto her with his right arm. In a split second he was running to a nearby stream in which he used to dip the child in. In the end, he got nearly all the substance off; nonetheless, she did spend the rest of the evening whining, "My arms are tingly!"  
  
Deep in the bottom of the bag he found what he was looking for. It was a shiny metallic box with a red emblem on it…a plus sign? He opened the tin and inside were little rolls of cloth, sticky things, items oddly wrapped in paper, and a book.   
  
Sesshomaru was a demon and having always been a demon, he had no idea as to how to bind wounds. It was in the demonic code of ethics to let wounds heal themselves. If your wounds did not close, then it was deemed that you were not powerful enough to survive and therefore not worth saving to begin with. Luckily for him, he had not sustained such an injury in the presence of other demons, but that still left him with the task at hand. He had promised Rin that the hanyou would be kept well but he still didn't have a clue as to what to do. He unrolled the cloth, tore open the packages, opened the sticky items and sat in wait. This was future stuff. All he'd have to do is open it and it would do the rest, right?   
  
Five minutes passed by and still the items on the ground didn't move any aside from Rin's random proddings. In the end, Rin contented herself to squat next to Sesshomaru while Jaken went out looking for firewood. It didn't look like they were going anywhere for quite a while.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama?" she carefully prodded.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Why hasn't anything happened?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe if we wait a while longer."  
  
"Rin doesn't think so. In Rin's village, when someone got hurt, Rin's mother would use strips of cloth and wrap it around where the person was bleeding from. Then she'd tie it in a knot and a few days later they got better. Maybe that's what you're supposed to do."  
  
Sesshomaru had always considered Rin to be a little human girl. Someone with intelligence, just not anyone he considered to have high levels of intelligence that would pertain to something useful to him. Human ideologies just never interested him. In this instance though, Rin had given him something very valuable. This nonetheless gave way to a new problem. The hanyou was bleeding from everywhere, including places covered by what used to be a cloak. He could take care of the wounds just fine, but Rin was someone who might get squeamish from the blood.  
  
"Rin, go get some food."  
  
"But…"  
  
"This Sesshomaru doesn't know what the hanyou eats. She might eat the same items as you. Don't you want her to have something good to eat for when she wakes up?"  
  
After all the time that she had spent with him, Rin could easily tell that it was important that she left. Sesshomaru never asked her a question unless he had something important to do.  
  
"Hai Sesshomaru-sama," she mumbled before walking off.  
  
Sesshomaru, being the demon he was, was too completely overconfident for his own good. He had no idea as to what he was getting himself into until it was too late. Had he known, he would have had Rin do it instead of him. First of all, the smell of the medical supplies was enough to make him nauseous as it assaulted his heightened senses and second, the wounds were numerous in places he just didn't want to go. He had to remove articles of clothing that had scabbed to her body and then find something to clothe her with. And considering the fact that the clothes were ruined beyond repair, for saying that they were in tatters was putting it loosely, he'd have to quickly find something to cover her with. He sighed in discomfort. That meant that his pristine white haori would have to do, something that the demon lord would hate to have tarnished.  
  
Carefully the demon lord removed the once pristine white split cloak from the hanyou's form and winced as he heard more flesh rip. He then moved to remove the other scabbed over garments, trying not to look directly at her while doing so. Although she was a hanyou and therefore in his mind inferior, she was still female, which still required a little more respect. It also made him squeamish to know what he was doing. Careful as to not look at the blood gushing body parts that he was wrapping, he did as he was instructed by the five year old. Only when he was finished did he look directly at her.   
  
She looked so different without the bloodied cloak, almost as much demon as he was. Now that he thought about it, the wounds that she had on her face almost gave her the appearance of a creature that could have been a part of his pack. She had a moon mark on her forehead, he had one on his. She had two marks on either side of her face, so did he. But she had blue pupil-less eyes and all of her marks were wounds, wounds that were probably going to scar. She would look that way forever even though she wasn't born with that appearance. He thought all this as he carefully pulled off his haori, cautious as to not let it get snagged on the spikes of his armor.  
  
His thoughts were abruptly disturbed however as he heard Rin chuckle. Apparently when Rin came back she thought him wearing his bulky armor without a shirt on was funny. It did really dwarf his form in reality though, so he didn't retort as she grabbed onto his leg. She peered around them to look at the hanyou. "Is Aphreal-sama going to be ok?"  
  
Not moving his head, he peered down at the girl. She looked as ridiculous as he did with that garment on her head. "Aphreal-sama, huh?" Rin nodded her head. "I think Aphreal-sama will be just fine."   
  
With that Rin squeezed Sesshomaru's legs tightly in a hug.   
  
The fire was built closely to Aphreal that night. Rin and Jaken slept close by. All through the night Sesshomaru sat awake and at guard, or at least that is what his intention was. In reality he was staring between the hanyou and the girl, wondering as to how he had allowed himself to become so soft. Somehow he had allowed for not only one female under his care, but now two, each resurrected under the careful guidance of that blasted sword of his. What was happening to him?  
  
So, what were the "magical items"?  
  
Bra  
  
Underwear  
  
Period gear  
  
Toothpaste/brush  
  
Deodorant   
  
Bengay  
  
Medical kit  
  
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.  
  
Lady Hiko 


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Catch Me

Author: Lady Hiko

Chapter: 2

Genre: Inu Yasha

Rating: PG

Email: http/caresse-par-la-lumie. it out. I have storyboards of pre-existing scenes and of some possible future scenes or occurances.

Disclaimer: Fields of paper flowers and paper moons. Yeah, those are about as real as me owning this particular show…or any other show for that matter.

AN Author's note, a random comment by me.

Also, I use some terminology that may be foreign to non-art majors. Those terms are starred and their explanations are at the bottom of the chapter.

Last time on Catch Me:

His thoughts were abruptly disturbed however as he heard Rin chuckle. Apparently when Rin came back she thought him wearing his bulky armor without a shirt on was funny. It did really dwarf his form in reality though, so he didn't retort as she grabbed onto his leg. She peered around them to look at the hanyou. "Is Aphreal-sama going to be ok?"

Not moving his head, he peered down at the girl. She looked as ridiculous as he did with that garment on her head. "Aphreal-sama, huh?" Rin nodded her head. "I think Aphreal-sama will be just fine."

With that Rin squeezed Sesshomaru's legs tightly in a hug.

The fire was built closely to Aphreal that night. Rin and Jaken slept close by. All through the night Sesshomaru sat awake and at guard or at least that is what his intention was. In reality he was staring between the hanyou and the girl, wondering as to how he had allowed himself to become so soft. Somehow he had allowed for not only one female under his care, but now two, each resurrected under the careful guidance of that blasted sword of his. What was happening to him?

Now on with the show!

The sun had risen slightly in the sky and for once, Aphreal felt warm and somewhat comfortable. Forgetting as to where she was, she began to stir, and abruptly stopped. There was something bound to her body that restricted her movement almost completely. Something felt as though it was bound around her chest, ribs, forehead, wrists, ankles, waist, and thighs. She was wrapped in a manner that reminded her of puppeteer threads. 'No…he doesn't have me again…he can't have me again! I'm no longer his to control!' She sniffed the air and smelled an inu-youkai, a human, and a small toad demon. It was then that she remembered that she was under their care, calming her a bit; however, what perplexed her was why the demon male's scent was so strong this day. 'It's almost as if that Sesshomaru guy is right next to me?'

She opened her eyes and noticed that she was not wrapped in her own clothes at all. In fact they were missing…and she was wearing his shirt? She quirked an eyebrow and was amazed that it didn't hurt that badly. 'If that didn't hurt much, maybe I can get up on my own.' She attempted to do so, but let's put it this way, she was very quickly dissuaded from doing so. Who dissuaded her? Let's just say all her muscles vetoed the action. Instead she settled for lifting her head and looking around. THAT at least didn't hurt. Slightly confused, she found herself lying next to a dying fire; the toad demon and Rin were lying opposite of her. 'Where's the adult?' she thought as she sniffed the air again. 'I know I smelled him.'

Much further from the fire than anyone else was Sesshomaru. He looked different though; something seemed off. It took her a second to place it, but then she realized what was so different. Lying in the full glory of the morning sun was the white prince, fast asleep and topless. Aside from that furry bola-thing that he wore, nothing clothed his bare chest, for his armor was placed close by. Painted by the golden sun, she saw why he could bear to wear such heavy armor for his slim figure was graced with flowing pectorals, a rippled abdomen, and well defined biceps. Somehow just lying there in the sun, Sesshomaru actually looked peaceful, kind, and actually…happy… In his sleep, you could almost see a pleasant smile on his face, something you'd never expect to see while he was awake. He almost could be considered attractive looking…

"I wonder what he's dreaming about," Aphreal quietly murmured.

Poke, poke.

Aphreal felt something prodding her in her shoulder, something small… She snapped her head to left - an action she would regret later - and realized that Rin had caught her looking as though she was ogling Sesshomaru. She jumped slightly.

"It's not as it looks, I swear!" she belted out in surprise.

At this Rin just grinned and the two male demons awoke. Jaken jumped about three feet in the air, whereas Sesshomaru merely opened his eyes and coolly asked, "What is 'not as it looks'?"

Rin's grin widened miraculously further as she stated, "Rin caught Aphreal-san staring at you."

Sesshomaru's eyebrow quirked slightly as Aphreal's face took on a red-ish hue.

"It's not like that," Aphreal quickly stated looking down and away from him.

'Her face is red and her heart has quickened. Strange. The hanyou is panicking,' he mused as his brows knitted together. He shook his head. 'A hanyou is a hanyou and hanyous are not worth my time. Let her act as she will; it is not this Sesshomaru's concern. She will be lead to the castle for some new garments and will no longer be my burden.' With new resolve he stood and gathered his armor. "Come." He turned on his heel and began to walk away before tossing over his shoulder, "We leave for Inutasho Castle." On command everyone stood to follow, Aphreal stumbling far back at the rear.

It was less than ten minutes before Sesshomaru paused once again. Maybe it was the dead slow pace, or maybe it was the fact that it was approximately the twentieth time he heard the hanyou go "oomph" and fall to the ground. Either way that sound was really beginning to irritate him and at this rate they'd reach the castle by the time that Rin was thirty. In a rather stiff manner he turned around, his right hand fisted at his side as he demanded in a toneless manner, "Can't you walk any faster?"

From her recent most acquisition of the ground, Aphreal thought 'insensitive prick' as she spit out a clump of dirt and replied, "Oh I don't know, let's take random chunks out of you and see how fast you move?"

'Irritable bitch. You'd think she'd be grateful for this Sesshomaru taking care of her wounds. If Rin wasn't here I'd…' His thoughts were cut off however as Rin dismounted Ah and Un and tugged on his pant leg.

"Aphreal-san can ride Ah and Un. Rin wishes to walk," Rin stated softly.

"Rin! Don't suggest something as stupid as that," Jaken interjected.

"Hanyous do not ride the beast," Sesshomaru replied coolly as if to state that the argument was finished. Jaken nodded his head in agreement.

"Aphreal-san can ride Ah and Un. I wish to walk," Rin restated firmly.

"How dare you disobey Lord Sesshomaru like that! Why…" Jaken looked in the place where Sesshomaru stood only to find it vacant. "Sesshomaru-sama? Sesshomaru-sama what are you doing?"

Keeping his stare flat, Sesshomaru had turned and continued to walk, thinking all the while, 'Females…annoying little creatures… At least we'll move quickly now.'

It was about three hours later that the Inu Yasha party arrived at the recently deserted campsite. Of course, immediately upon arrival Inu Yasha searched out the missing ramen, whereas Kagome went searching for her missing articles of clothing among other things. This, however, led to two cries of agony to ring out through the forest.

"MY RAMEN!"

"MY CLOTHES!"

Anything that was not used by Sesshomaru and crew was either burned or smothered in dirt from being used as bedding. Kagome's queer garments did not seem suitable for anyone to wear. I can bet you can guess which was used for kindling. Poor Inu Yasha.

"Rin is tired."

By modern standards it was 10 o'clock at night and Rin was far past tired. The half moon crept steadily up the sky providing illumination upon the occupants of the Sesshomaru clan. Still shirtless and wearing the bulky cold armor, Sesshomaru suppressed a slight shiver. The temperature had dropped a considerable amount and now that he thought about it, if they did not stop soon, Rin might become ill. Humans were such weak creatures in that manner.

"We will stop here."

The place he had chosen was near to the river, as always, for it was what led the way to his castle. Judging by their placement, they were less than one day's travel away if they all rode Ah and Un for part of it. Then he wouldn't have to eat wild broses and the hanyou would be off his hands. Speaking of which…

Sesshomaru sat on the ground, leaning against the side of the resting Ah and Un as he pulled a handful of broses from one of the saddlebags hidden in its armor. He felt that it was better to keep what he ate a secret so as the enemy wouldn't know what to taint if ever they chose to try to harm him.

Aphreal had long since removed herself from the back of the beast and had stiffly followed Rin to the river for some fish. Riding all day and resting on Ah and Un's back had done her well. Her wounds had healed enough now that she wasn't constantly re-ripping them open from moving, which allowed her to walk around rather stiffly. She was still very sore.

"So what are we doing again?" she asked.

"YOU are going to help me catch fish 'cause I don't see very well at night," Rin replied.

Aphreal nodded and scanned the water for movement. Even with her fluid tapped eyes she could still see rather well at night. "Soo…" she began. Rin looked up. "Why do you stay with tall, white, and spiky over there?"

"You mean Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked perplexed, her hands still dangling in the shin deep water.

"Yeah, and what's with the sama tag? I mean, what's the point in calling him sama? He's not a god or anything."

"Sesshomaru-sama brought me back to life, returned to me my voice, and took care of me."

"Don't you have any parents?"

"No, they died a long time ago," Rin spoke softly as she stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you have any parents?"

Aphreal grimaced. This was not a subject she was fond of disclosing. Still, this girl was the reason as to why Sesshomaru brought her back her life. She guessed Rin deserved to know a little about her. She turned back to the river and snatched a fish from the water. "No." Stiffly turning and tossing the fish onto the bank, she continued, "The man who is my father by birth ate my mother. So…" She reached into the water spearing a fish with her claws, the blood sifting through the nearly pitch black water. "I don't have any parents left."

"Oh…" her hands dropped to her sides.

Aphreal tossed the second fish to the bank. Gingerly lifting her arm to wipe her forehead she grunted, "I wasn't even born with this tail, you know."

"Huh? Then how did you get it?"

"My father sent my brother, Antithesis, to kill me. I tried to fight back and he reflected my attack back on me." Rin looked confused. Aphreal sighed, "Antithesis is a full demon, unlike me, and because of that he is weakened to 'holy' magic. Due to my heritage I am - to an extent - immune to that kind of power and able to wield a bit. I thought if I could 'purify' him, he would go away. However, in my injured state, my mind wasn't considering the fact that he could rebound my magic with his telekinesis… Are you following what I'm saying?"

"Sort of…"

Aphreal cocked her head to the side, "Hey…I've been talking to you all evening and you haven't referred to yourself as Rin. Why?"

Rin's eyes suddenly changed, they no longer seemed to focus on Aphreal, but past her as she replied, "Rin refers to herself as Rin because it is a sign of subordination and respect towards those who have revived Rin. Rin says 'I' to you because you have been revived too."

Aphreal skewed her face in perplexion and turned around. The sudden change in speech made her believe that Sesshomaru was right behind her.

"So," Sesshomaru asked, stoic as usual. "If you were born without a tail, were you an inu-hanyou from the beginning?"

"You were listening the entire time!" Aphreal asked bug eyed. Sesshomaru grunted in response. The fact that they had taken so long for such a simple task had lured him there. Looking away, she flatly answered his question, "No." Thoroughly flustered that he appeared out of nowhere, she grabbed the fish from the shore and stumbled off towards their campfire.

The morning greeted Aphreal with sun in her face and wind in her hair, as well as a child sleeping next to her and everyone else behind her. She looked around startled making the beast sway a little.

"Don't wake the child," a flat tone replied from behind her.

"Wha?" she mumbled a bit surprised as she looked down and saw the trees far below. 'This thing flies?'

"We are only four hours from Inutasho castle and if you do not wake her, we will not hear complaints about hunger…or other things…"

Aphreal took the initiative and tried to stay as still as possible, however, one can hang over Ah and Un in the same position for only so long. So about an hour before the journey's end, they were greeted with words such as, "I'm hungry! Are we there yet? I have to go…"

On approaching Inutasho Castle Sesshomaru's right eye was madly twitching. Rin had been madly talking for the past hour and did not hear him any of the numerous times he had ordered her to be quiet.

Aphreal looked far ahead at the approaching skyline, waiting in anticipation for the castle that the child had been blathering about for the past hour. The great red peaks towered over the treetops, visible miles before approaching the site. The river below detoured and created an L shaped lake off to the side. At the base of the L sprouted a gargantuan weeping willow, its great sweeping boughs dipping into the water. Starting at its base and leading all the way to great ebony doors was a bubbling green mass, or at least that's what it looked like from her viewpoint. Nudging Rin, who was still talking nonsense to herself, she asked, "What's that?" She indicated the moving green mass below.

Rin chuckled, grinning to herself. "Those are our servants." As they drew nearer, the figures below became clear. They were hundreds of little demons… hundreds of little toad demons. Aphreal cringed. It appeared as though there were millions of little Jakens milling around, each squawking in their own high pitched voices, all looking about with their beady little eyes. She suppressed a shudder as she thought to herself, 'please not let all of their names start with a J.'

Of course, her fear was unfounded as the little girl leapt from the beast shouting, "Baikotsu! Boshou!" Two little green heads popped up from the horde. "Is breakfast ready? Please tell me Buso is not in the kitchen…" She continued to babble until they were at the door. Apparently all of the toad demon's names started with the letter B, Buso being the possible exception, for he was nicknamed Doku for his horrible cooking. It was a common occurrence to get food poisoning after eating one of his new concoctions, hence the nickname. There was a solitary female within the horde, Barubu. She stood the same height and was approximately the same physical shape as the rest. What defined her as being female –aside from the fact that her name was effeminate- was that she wore womanly attire, had a slight bust, spider leg-like eyelashes, and her voice was somehow higher than the males'. She was no great beauty in normal terms, but to the many millions of toad demons milling about, she was a goddess. This was probably due to the fact that she was sincerely one of a kind at this place.

Inutasho castle was a building to behold. Standing in its presence was as if comparing ones self to a monument; a solitary man would easily feel infantile in its titanic shadow. This was no traditional Japanese castle and no building that could rival it in its immense magnitude. The fact that it had great red roofs was its only apparent similarity. The palace itself was akin to one giant window with many little toads climbing up and down, scrubbing its various surfaces. Flying buttresses covered the exterior so that the 300 or so foot high towers did not fall in on themselves, giving it an upward ribbed look. The vast majority of the exterior was built of thick stone and solid dark wood, something atypical to the area. Between the areas of wood molding, stone, and colored glass, were white washed walls. A great shimmering rose window graced the front of the building a number of feet above the 90 ft high door and just below the uppermost roof.

Looking up and agape at the bold gigantesque wooden doors in front of her, she asked, "We're not really going to open those doors, are we?"

Standing firmly at the base of one of the doors, Sesshomaru looked at her and replied in his usual flat tone, "Of course not." He pushed on a spot on the door, revealing that there was a man sized door built into the large door, and stepped in. "They're merely for show."

The interior was a marvel on its own. Though the exterior was purely foreign, the interior was reminiscent of the standard Japanese castle… well, at least on the upper floors. Dark wood floors zigzagged throughout the castle and stone walls shot to the vaulted heights of the interior. There was a great stone fireplace proportional to the building built against one of the exterior walls and it was several stories high. Traditional Japanese cloth wall coverings draped over what little existing wall space to provide insulation against the seasonally cold nights and most bits of what could be considered furniture were left out on the floor in an orderly manner. Bits of colored light filtered through the various windows, making extravagant patters from room to room. Not every inch of glass was colored, but enough that a person could live in the place without going mad. There were various windows of mainly clear glass at the center and stained glass twinkling around the edges as well as the shimmering colorful ones. Many windows depicted images of colossal sized demon dogs; however, there were two solitary windows endowed with drapery, their images hidden from view. The vast majority of the main hall was clearly visible from the entrance, giving glimpses of random little green heads peeking from the various rooms. Somehow it reminded Aphreal of small little rodents looking for a predator from their boroughs. It was easy for one to see some of the uppermost floors, for they wrapped around the edges of the building, leaving a 5 foot by 15 foot opening in the floors leading all the way to the uppermost ceiling.

Aphreal was dragged from her analysis of the building quite literally as Rin grabbed her hand and yanked her from room to room, entailing as to where everything was and gushing about the various servants that serviced the building. Oye, the B names! Who could have ever known that so many names of that variety existed!

The base levels of the building consisted thick columns at the corners of each room and rooms to be expected of a palace. The lower floors were reserved for the rooms required of the servants. So, although there were many upon many rooms, there was scarcely an available one. The higher you went, the more slender the columns and the more Japanese the walls became. However, the rooms themselves became more foreign. Beds raised above the floor adorned each room and many pillows covered each bed. Since these rooms occupied the uppermost floor, the ceilings were unusually high and domed in appearance, allowing for the beds to be canopied with fine thin cloth. All these styles didn't seem to mesh properly somehow, and yet, in a way it just seemed appropriate of its benefactor. Once again, though, there was something completely amiss. One room was not on the tour, walled off to all occupants of the house, even Rin. Upon asking about it Rin just shrugged and Sesshomaru, who was standing dully at the end of the hall, remained silent.

"Rin's room is at the end of the hall by the stairs," Rin began, and then whispered to Aphreal, "it's easier to get to the lavatory this way." She then walked to the other end of the hall to a room situated directly to the right of the off limits room and said, "And this is Sesshomaru-sama's room. Jaken sleeps downstairs with the other toads. Rin doesn't know where we'll put you though." She looked at Sesshomaru.

One could tell from looking at this situation that Rin was this demon's only weak spot, for the look on Rin's face appeared to have fractured his expression momentarily. It didn't last long though as Sesshomaru expressionlessly led Aphreal to a room directly to the left of the locked room and said it was hers. He didn't stay to watch her examine it. Turning on his heel, he threw over his shoulder, "Find a kimono that fits. Midday meal is in an hour. This Sesshomaru's clothes will be returned then."

Rin stayed behind and Jaken nervously remained outside the door, clutching his staff as he stood. Opening the door, Aphreal drew in a breath of awe. She was in the most lavish red room that she had ever seen. The floors were made of rosewood trimmed with various crimson carpets with black flowers crawling across their faces. Mosaic style mirrors adorned most every wall and cherry colored silk curtains embroidered in black flowed from the slender windows. Each window was edged with ruby, gold, and emerald colored glass. A delicate and slender armoire crept up one wall, and a low desk with parchment crawled along another. Little emerald colored bottles and baubles with leaf patterns blanketed the desk. Odd and against the windowed wall was a fireplace, an extension off of the gargantuan fireplace several stories below. Off to the right side and apparently the focal point room stood the bed. Built of cherry wood, it was raised from the floor on a platform three steps high. The linens were of a fine burgundy material, similar to fur to the touch, but were not made of hair. The pillows were of a fine scarlet color edged in gold, the one of the light touches of gold in the room, to match the silken sheets that pooled over the sides. Tall slender posts thrust towards the ceiling, connected by ribbon-like gold shafts and draped by a light and airy claret material.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Aphreal finally spoke, a glint of green reflecting onto her face.

"It was Inutasho's late mate, Izayoi's room," Rin replied.

"Huh?"

"Inutasho was Sesshomaru-sama's father. Inutasho built this place and it was initially completed shortly before he died. For a while Izayoi lived here with Inu Yasha, but when she died, Inu Yasha left and Sesshomaru moved back in."

"It took forever to get that awful stench out of here!" Jaken squawked from outside the room.

Rin quickly explained, "Izayoi was human. Sesshomaru-sama despises his brother for being a hanyou and Izayoi for being his father's second mate. That's why there are two windows covered downstairs. He hates anything that reminds him of them."

Aphreal stared on wide-eyed at nothing as she mulled over the strange new insight she had now about the queer white stranger she had come to depend upon.

Before she could mull over much, she was dragged over to the armoire where most of Izayoi's kimonos were stored. Considering that she did not traditionally wear a kimono, she instructed Rin to choose one for her as stripped off Sesshomaru's haori and dropped it outside the door on Jaken's head. A small squawk of frustration emitted outside the door. Sitting on the floor, Rin helped Aphreal into a simple white silk kimono adorned in purple flowers. Silk to not irritate her wounds, the flowers secretly for Sesshomaru-sama's liking. Aphreal did not notice nor did she care as stumbled over to the bed and fell onto its feathery down mattress, letting it encompass her. Figuring that Jaken would come for them, Rin crawled in alongside Aphreal, falling asleep almost as instantaneously.

Aphreal awoke later to one of the most freakish sights one can see upon awakening. She awoke to a pair of great bulging white eyes enveloped in green spider like lashes. They were staring at her and when they finally blinked, she jumped with a start.

"Didn't mean to frighten you miss," an ear piercingly high squeaky voice replied. It was the solitary female, Barubu, and it now became clear as to why the white prince had employed only one female. The high pitched voices of a flock of them would shatter all the windows.

Rubbing her ears slightly, she asked what time it was, for when she had fallen asleep, it was still day.

"It is now supper time, miss. You and the young mistress slept through the midday meal so I thought I should wake you for supper."

This was much to Aphreal's surprise, but when she turned around, Rin was sleeping soundly still and somehow through Barubu's squeaky voice.

"Will you be coming?" Barubu asked.

Aphreal nodded and Barubu left. She turned slightly on the bed and gazed down upon the small child. Like many things as of late, it was strange to gaze upon her. How could such a small creature be her savior? Sure, Sesshomaru resurrected her, but knowing what she knew already of him, without this little girl he would not have even batted an eye at her demise. Moving her gently, she roused the small girl from her sleep. Rin rubbed her eyes and yawned, her stomach growling in response. Aphreal fixed the small girl's hair and smoothed her own before attempting the daunting task of the seemingly millions of steps leading to the dining hall.

Upon reaching the main floor after what seemed like hours, but was merely minutes, Rin regained her bouncy-ness and immediately dragged Aphreal to the table where a small feast stood at one end. Plates upon plates of meats, cheeses, soups and the like stood on the furthest end from Sesshomaru, who of course was at the place of prominence, the end of the table. However, the closer you got to Sesshomaru, the more you could call it a vegetarian's delight. Various vegetables, steamed, baked, browned, and simmered were placed near to him, all covered in tender steamed broses. The fact that Sesshomaru was a vegetarian caught her so off guard that she didn't realize that Rin had seated her next to him until she sat down, which was unfortunately on her tail. Kimonos don't leave a hole for that you know.

"Ouch!" she yelled as she stood up and rubbed the affected area (AN: Eat your heart out Miroku). "How am I supposed to sit in this thing?"

"Move your tail to the side," Sesshomaru replied emotionlessly; the bola thing at his side twitching as he spoke.

'Wait…it…twitched! Is that thing…alive!' Aphreal thought before yelling, "It moved!" She did this while pointing at his bola.

Sesshomaru was almost amused at this, almost as amused as a cat with its tail caught under a rocking chair. He stared at Aphreal coldly. "It's my tail. I am an Inu-youkai," he replied as if to finish the conversation and began to eat his meal.

Aphreal had been in that jigsaw puzzle of a house for about a week now. Sesshomaru's cold stares and the mir-cat-like movement of the toad demons became ordinary to her somehow. All was quiet, except for, of course, Rin's endless talking. The little girl followed her from room to room on most days blathering to her whatever she felt. Perhaps the girl liked to do that because she did not need to use a subordinate tone around her. Aphreal though had a distinct feeling that she was always like that. 'Hrm, maybe that's why Sesshomaru has let me stay so long…to keep Rin occupied.'

Like most in a mother and child type relationship, Aphreal and Rin often occupied the local hot springs most every night under the pale moon and tonight was no different. Within the encompassing warmth of the water, Aphreal laid her head back and relaxed, forgetting all her worries as Rin did the same. However, Rin wasn't contemplating anything, just simply was star gazing. It was a full moon out tonight, but that was the furthest thing from Aphreal's mind, and the closest to Rin's.

Pointing a solitary finger to the sky, Rin shouted, "Look Aphreal, it's a full moon out tonight! Isn't it pretty?"

Surreally relaxed, Aphreal looked up into the heaven's splendor and replied, "Yes, it is." A little bit of gold reflected the moon like pools in her irises. Sighing and removing herself from the water, Aphreal redressed and motioned for Rin to do the same. Then tonight, just as they had done every night, they traced their way up the steps leading back to the manor. Something seemed off tonight about Aphreal though, something that plagued Rin since supper time. Aphreal's mannerisms seemed quite queer and Rin thought that she had been dropping feathers. Looking back at the hot spring, she was almost certain that she had seen a few in there. Now bathed in the moonlight, she could have sworn that Aphreal was glowing.

Deep in side the house, another one was stirring. For some reason Sesshomaru had felt a pull of sorts, something akin to an inkling that told him, urged him to look outside. Sesshomaru looked up from his codex. 'There's something coming. What is that?' He thought to himself. Sniffing the air, however, told him that it was just Aphreal and Rin coming back from the bath. He turned back to his codex, but he couldn't concentrate on it. Aphreal's scent had crept into the room and had begun to surround him. It enticed and disgusted him all at once. 'Enticed?' his mind reeled. 'No, there is only disgust. Hanyous deserve disgust.' Even so, her scent was overwhelming his senses, making it next to impossible to concentrate. 'FINE,' he thought. 'I will assess the situation and dismiss this nonsense.' He set down his codex and left the room.

So there he was when they returned, leaning up against the door and waiting for them. Sesshomaru's eyes widened ever so slightly as he drew in the most minute breath. The weakenly disgusting scent that Aphreal carried had grown stronger and had appeared to have taken over her demon scent. She held a strong glow around her in the light of the full moon and a trail of feathers led from the bath. Her luxurious fluffy white tail had disappeared all together and were replaced by two large shimmering wings.

Last minute Author's Notes:

1. Doku means poison in Japanese

2. I do highly doubt that there would be a gothic style building in the Japanese wilderness, but according to Rumiko Takahashi's manga, the Sengoku-jidai was from 1467-1568, around the approximate time of the Romanesque and Gothic periods in France. Also, gargantuan building structures have existed since before the time of Christ, at least around 300 BC. For example, in early Mesopotamia, built a great fortress like palace that had gargantuan gates to intimidate anyone who entered. You could see it for miles before approaching it and by the time you reached there, you knew that there was nothing you could say to the guy that would change anything. He was in charge, and you knew it. Either way, the French obsession with tall, slender buildings seemed to be just Sesshomaru's style to me. With how long it takes to build one of these monument like buildings, I figured Inutasho commissioned most of it, and Sesshomaru finished it with the Gothic architecture. Ah yes, the glories of fiction, where a person can mettle with time, style, and the such. big cheesy grin I know that I have a tendency to insert a ton of technical jargon, which is of course a big no-no, so I am going to clarify a couple of things:

1) A flying buttress is basically a braced arch on the outside of a building that connects to a specific point on a building to take the thrust off of a wall that has to support vaulted ceilings. This allows for many, many windows and lots of light. It makes a rather interesting exterior.

2) Vaulted ceiling – think an arched ceiling rather than your standard issue flat ceiling.

3) Rose window- technically speaking, a rose window doesn't necessarily have a rose shape to it. Basically, it is a giant circular window several feet around with thin tracery (in this case, molding) creating the shape of an almost abstract flower.

4) Codex – That is what they called books back then. Either you use a scroll, or do the chic and handy thing and use a codex. It's also easier to have illustrations that way. )

Also as a side note, when I refer to the word queer in this story, I refer to its original meaning "weird". It's not used to represent someone's sexuality.


	4. Chapter 3

Title: Catch Me  
Chapter: 3  
Author: Lady Hiko  
Genre: Inu Yasha  
Rating: PG  
Email: URL: http/ "Do not attempt to move or we will be shooting ourselves." Oops, sorry about that. Apparently I was channeling Genie for a minute. Any who, me being magical like him is about as possible as me owning this show, or anything else like that for that matter. 

"…" Speaking  
'…' Thinking

------  
Last time…  
------

Deep inside the house, another one was stirring. For some reason Sesshomaru had felt a pull of sorts, something akin to an inkling that told him, urged him to look outside. Sesshomaru looked up from his codex. 'There's something coming. What is that?' He thought to himself. Sniffing the air, however, told him that it was just Aphreal and Rin coming back from the bath. He turned back to his codex, but he couldn't concentrate on it. Aphreal's scent had crept into the room and had begun to surround him. It enticed and disgusted him all at once. 'Enticed?' his mind reeled. 'No, there is only disgust. Hanyous deserve disgust.' Even so, her scent was overwhelming his senses, making it next to impossible to concentrate. 'FINE,' he thought. 'I will assess the situation and dismiss this nonsense.' He set down his codex and left the room.  
So there he was when they returned, leaning up against the door and waiting for them. Sesshomaru's eyes widened ever so slightly as he drew in the minutest breath. The weakeningly disgusting scent that Aphreal carried had grown stronger and had appeared to have taken over her demon scent. She held a strong glow around her in the light of the full moon and a trail of feathers led from the bath. Her luxurious fluffy white tail had disappeared all together and were replaced by two large shimmering wings.

------  
On with the show!  
-----

Aphreal was a sight to behold. The immaculate white kimono that she wore lay in tatters on her back as the wings had sprouted through it. Rin was mindlessly talking in front of her, clearly oblivious of the transformation that her companion had undergone. Oddly enough, Aphreal hadn't seemed to have noticed herself. What she did notice, however, was that Sesshomaru was staring at her, an odd occurrence for such a stoic person. "What are you looking at?" she demanded, rather disturbed at his behavior. This of course stopped Rin from talking momentarily and caused her to stare at Aphreal as well. "What!"  
"I knew you had wings!" Rin shouted, her eyes bulging at Aphreal.  
The demon lord quirked an eyebrow, the peculiar aura she emitted had increased by tenfold now that she was near, and it was starting ever so slightly to make him nauseous.  
Aphreal looked behind her and blanched. This had never, ever happened before without her father causing and controlling it, and she wondered how she could not have noticed. The wings twitched in response to her thoughts. Realizing that she could move them consciously, she began to lift and spread one, and then the other repeatedly. This, of course, stirred up a bit of a wind. Her scent stewed and swirled around the white prince, blocking almost all thought. All that was left was the bare minimum. He thought that the scent was somewhat pretty, if not a bit nauseating. His thoughts, however, returned to him immediately after Rin grabbed a hold of one of the wings and had started to pet it. Aphreal could almost be seen purring at the touch.  
'The scent is somewhat pretty?' Sesshomaru repeated in his head. 'Where did such rubbish come from?' He was starting to lose composure within his own head and one could almost, almost see some sort of emotion playing across his face…almost. 'No, her scent is disgusting. A hanyou's scent is only deplorable and will make this Sesshomaru unwell if it goes on like this.'  
"Hanyou," he stated coldly, drawing Aphreal's angry attention. He knew her name, couldn't he just say it?  
"Hanyou," he continued. "When will this end?"  
"End? How the hell am I supposed to know?" she stated rather peeved. "This has never happened before."  
Sesshomaru stared at her as coolly as he could muster. 'All hanyous are the same. Inuyasha has one night where he is human. The hanyou will have one night where she is…whatever she is.' He couldn't bring himself to admit even mentally that he could have been wrong and that half tennyous could exist.  
With that he turned on his heel and into the castle. 'Let the hanyou do as she pleases. This is none of this Sesshomaru's concern.'

Aphreal watched as Sesshomaru left into the castle. 'Why the hell did he bother to come out?' She sharply turned in the opposite direction, 'Why should I care anyways?'  
She was drawn from her odd brooding by a small tug on what was left of her kimono.  
"Can you fly?" Rin asked, a look of adoration in her eyes.  
Aphreal skewed her face and ran her hand through her hair, "Good question." She stretched out her wings and began to flap them, subconsciously flapping her arms as well.  
"Maybe you should run too," Rin suggested, chuckling as she spoke.  
Aphreal, not knowing what else to do, took off at a canter in the opposite direction of the castle, gaining speed until it was hard to breathe. As she neared the edge of the river, she felt suddenly lighter and her feet skimmed the grass below her. To her amazement she rose a few feet, however, when one is flying, one should watch where she is going. For mere moments later, Aphreal had managed to fly directly into a tree, getting her wings entangled within the branches.  
"Aurgh!" she screamed as she squirmed within in her entanglement, trying to dislodge herself. Its hold was strong and binding, bringing back terrible memories and making it hard to breathe. She was literally starting to hyperventilate within the tree's branches. "Get me out of here!" she shrieked to the poor little girl below. Not knowing how you dislodge a hanyou, Rin started throwing small objects at her, which served to hit Aphreal and irritate her already aggravated state. Seeing that this was doing nothing of use, Rin proceeded to get the biggest stick that she could carry to knock her companion out of the tree and found that it missed Aphreal by several feet.  
"Stay there Aphreal! I'm going to go get Sesshomaru-sama!" she shouted as she bolted off towards the castle.  
'As…if…I..could…get..away….anyways…' Aphreal thought as she dangled within the branches. Nightmares of her prior servitude plagued her head and in her current predicament she had not the mobility to neither run away nor block out the murmurs rumbling in her head. The souls, she couldn't block out their voices. Blood, she could still smell it, taste it, feel it as it coursed down her body and blinded her eyes. The sound of their tormented screams as she ripped through their flesh, the bones cracking, their hopes dwindling. She could feel as their life's glow went out and could hear the cackles of her father as he invaded her mind, controlling her motions…  
It was then that Sesshomaru arrived yet again, although this time the situation was a bit more peculiar. Although Aphreal was still clad with wings and that sickening aura, this time she was caught in a tree like some absurd cat…a cat squirming just fresh from a bath.  
With an impassive glance he used a poisonous whip to cut away the branches from around her. This, of course, caused her to fall straight to the ground with a resounding whump.  
She didn't immediately stir, but more like curled up on the ground, her wings making her look like some crippled bird. Sesshomaru once again turned on his heel towards the castle, stating to Rin over his shoulder, "Take care of her."

The next morning dawned bright and full of sunshine, however, for the white prince things were not so cheerful. With morning came a headache and tired eyes for a restless night's sleep. It was not that he was worried about or for anyone, far from that. In fact, it was that improvident hanyou's aura that was bothering him. Her bedroom was directly across the hall from him and her scent and everything that came with it leaked through the doors and walls.  
Standing and adorning another impeccably white haori, the demon lord rubbed his eyes and went to look in on Rin. Most mornings he was greeted by two big brown eyes staring at him from the doorway, but this morning there was not a blink of her. Peering into her room, however, proved to be useless. All that was there was a very sickly looking Jaken looking equally confused as to the absence of the dweller of the room. Upon further inspection though, he caught a trace of her scent, which led straight to the hanyou's room.  
Wondering as to why on Earth that he was bothering with this, he opened the hanyou's door, not bothering to knock, and checked for the little girl. And there she lay, loftily encircled within the hanyou's wings, holding onto the hanyou's waist with a small smile on her face. The hanyou's face, however, was quite different. It was creased rather uncomfortably and her body as well as her face twitched in a wincing manner. She looked like a dog having a strong nightmare. How the child slept through that was well beyond the grasp of the white prince's comprehension.  
"Hanyou," he stated flatly. "Wake up."  
Rin awoke, but Aphreal did not. She just continued to shudder on the bed.  
Seeing this, the white prince commanded Rin to, "Wake it up." His headache was far too strong for him to be polite. At this though, for once Rin looked rather unhappily at her Sesshomaru-sama. She didn't like to be called 'it' and didn't like others to be called 'it' either. So she frowned at Sesshomaru rather distinctly, got off, and then proceeded to gently wake the sleeping hanyou.  
"Aphreal…Aphreal-chan, wake up," she whispered as she softly shook the hanyou awake.  
The hanyou, however, did not wake softly. She awoke with an animalistic shriek and bulging blue eyes promptly followed by a purifying cloud. The prince merely stepped back and lightly shielded himself with his haori. Jaken stumbled back very dizzily from his post near the door. It was a very weak cloud but it was enough to spike the prince's headache a bit more.  
Realizing where she was, Aphreal shook her head a bit and looked at Sesshomaru apologetically. Sesshomaru snorted in disgust, which was in fact the most emotion that she had yet seen him display.  
"Come," he said icily as he left the room.  
This time instead of having a servant instruct her to a kimono, he led Aphreal to a room in the far back of the castle. Neither Aphreal nor Rin had explored this room. The white prince stood at the door and coolly explained, "This is the room where all of the possessions of my fallen enemies are kept. There are items in there from all over Japan and several from over the seas. Find something that will cover you and not disturb your wings nor you tail." He had enough. He would take her to get her problem under control, but needed her dressed first. With that the prince coolly stalked off.  
Rin and Aphreal cautiously peered their heads into the room. Goods foreign and local filled it to the brim. Statues, busts, and countless numbers of armor overflowed the room on one side and on the other laid the finest of silks that Aphreal had ever touched, foreign gowns and petticoats. Conversely, in the middle laid the most curious of garments that Rin had ever seen. They looked like armor, almost. It was made completely of maroon leather with golden embellishments. Seemingly hundreds of leather straps hung from the skirt with golden studs at the end of each. With the open back she would not have to worry about her wings and with the leather straps she wouldn't have to worry about the tail. It reminded her of some armor she had seen a creature wander in with while she was still under her father's control. This would look perfectly fine with her scars and seemed to be about her size, so she picked it up. It was about that time that the armor around the middle fell off. Not really wanting to know why it fell apart the way that it had, she put it on as is. Glancing at a rather large multipart mirror, she found that she looked rather nice in it, even if it were a bit drafty. There was a slight problem with it though. Although there were many, many straps that hung from the waist, one would have to just catch her at the right moment to see some unmentionables. Glancing around, she found something that would cover that bit and used a claw to cut a hole for her tail for later. Feeling much more confident in her new appearance, with Rin's approval, she left.  
Sesshomaru was waiting outside the door. The sooner he could get her out of here and taken care of, the sooner she would be out of his life. He was, however, mildly shocked once she had come through the door. Of all the garments in the room, he had least expected that. Frowning slightly, he grabbed a random kimono from inside the room and stuffed it in her arms.  
"You're indecent," the daiyoukai stated. "Put that on when your wings have gone."  
Aphreal stood there mildly stunned for a moment, her arms still holding the silk garment before she shouted, "Well where am I supposed to put this until then!"  
The white prince elegantly shrugged, something of which is rarely seen, before completely leaving the corridor.

It was approximately two hours later that they had once again set off. There were a few tearful goodbyes between Rin and a couple of servants, but Aphreal was almost certain that they were glad to see her go. She was anticipating a great cheer to arise from the crowd of little demons as soon as her back had turned. Not that she could blame them, she was probably making them physically sick with her new aura. Now, however, was not the time to contemplate that as she, Rin, and Jaken boarded onto Ah-Un. The beast elegantly curled onto its haunches and bound high into the air. Aphreal wondered for a moment as to why Sesshomaru had not boarded as well, but was immediately rewarded with the sight of him bounding effortlessly into the air as if he too could fly. They glided in the air among the clouds for a few minutes before the white prince turned to her and said, "Hanyou."  
This, of course, issued a glare from both females present.  
"You can fly," Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow slightly. "Yes?"  
Aphreal paused a moment. "Yes?" she replied uncertainly.  
Ah-Un threw her from it's back, for she was making the poor beast nauseous. Aphreal fell from the sky for a few moments in terror before realizing how stupid she was being and opened her wings. She spread them fully, catching a warm stream of air before flying up near the flying and bounding group above her.  
Not even turning to look at her, which was really starting to irk her, the white prince stated, "Fly far behind us so that you do not make Ah-Un sick."  
She was about to retort to that, but realizing that making Ah-Un sick could cause it to fall from the sky and potentially cause Rin to fall as well, she decided she would hang back a bit.  
"Besides," she heard a squawky voice retort. "Hanyous should never travel as equals next to a full demon's presence."  
Aphreal had a strong urge to knock Jaken from the sky but fell back as Rin actually reprimanded him.  
"Be quiet Jaken!" Rin's raised voice was most certainly a surprise, for Jaken actually fell silent.

--- Approximately 3 hours later on the ground ---

Totosai calmly laid in his cave by the fire. His eyes were closed and in his mind he dreamt of sugar coated Tetsusaigas and dancing demonesses all trodding on Naraku's head. Such a strange dream for a demon to posses, but it was his none the less. While sleeping, his nose crinkled and he wiped his hand across his face. The stench did not go away and in his dreams Naraku began to dissolve. Although perhaps it could be considered a good thing in a way, something felt foreboding. It wasn't until he felt the bite of a flea that he bothered to move.  
SLAP!  
He opened his left eye and watched as the little flattened flea demon floated to the ground with satisfaction.  
After inflating himself to his satisfaction, Myouga shouted in panic, "Sesshomaru is coming!"  
The old man jolted upright with a start. Myouga jumped onto his shoulder as Totosai ran in an effort to scramble away, but it was too late. For as his right foot hit the cave entrance it abruptly collided with that of the foot of Sesshomaru. He jumped back in surprise.  
"Sesshomaru-sama!" the old man squeaked.  
The white prince stepped in, looking at him.  
"Old man Totosai," Sesshomaru drawled coolly, setting in a smile.  
The old man stepped back further yet. To see a smile on the daiyoukai usually meant almost certain death.  
"I've got a proposition for you, To-To-Sai," he continued, emphasizing each syllable.  
Before Totosai could ask what the proposition was the room was filled with a strange, nauseating scent and the air became clear as in a meadow. So clear it had become so that Rin easily wandered in, unharmed.  
The old man drew back his arm in disbelief. No human should ever be able to survive in there, let alone a small one. However, the shock didn't end there, for held in toe to the little girl was a heavenly being, or at least it smelled and looked as such. She had long white hair, queer sheer armor, and the strangest markings. It wasn't until he had looked harder at them that he realized they were scars, scars that made her to look somewhat like Sesshomaru now that he thought of it. He cast Sesshomaru a confused look, which just earned him a wilt worthy glare.  
"As you can see I have a problem, one which I would like you to resolve. This hanyou," Sesshomaru calmly elucidated as Totosai looked on confused. "appears to be caught in her other form and will not dissolve her sickening appearance after a day as all hanyous are supposed to."  
"Then why don't you just leave her somewhere and leave this senile old man alone to his age?" Totosai shouted.  
"I could leave her here with you," the white prince stated. Pretty as she may be, the old man declined with his arms flailing in the air. She was making him queasy already. Taking the cue, Sesshomaru continued, "I need you to resolve this problem."  
"And why should I?"  
"You sure you don't want another resident or two?"  
"Good point," he hastily replied. Looking down, he thought for a moment before reaching into a nearby jar for something. Somehow he knew that these would come in handy one day, although for the life of him he couldn't remember how on earth he got them in the first place. "Here," he said as he deposited several small black beads into Sesshomaru's palm. "Take these to Kagome; have her bless them."  
"I will not," the white prince replied flatly, a mild tone of indignation hidden in his words.  
"Do you want to be stuck with that aura!"  
The demon lord paused a moment. "Why do I have to take these to Kagome? This creature is part holy."  
Aphreal glared at him from his back, her purifying energy spiking a little bit making almost every demon present flinch a little. On the outside Sesshomaru seemed unaffected, inwardly he cringed. 'Ok, this Sesshomaru will not call you creature.'  
"Because…" Totosai began, and then turned to the holy woman. "What is your name?"  
"Aphreal."  
"Because Aphreal is untrained. She can't control her aura consciously, let alone bless something. Kagome-sama is also mostly untrained, but she can do this simple blessing . Kikyou would refuse if you asked, so don't even think about it."  
The white prince flattened his stare to nearly a glare. "Then I will have Rin do it."  
"If that is your wish it's all the same to me. Just get them blessed," Totosai replied, trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible.  
At this, Sesshomaru turned on his heel to leave, however, he was immediately stopped.  
"Just a moment, Sesshomaru-sama," Totosai rasped.  
He paused, not looking back. "You have this Sesshomaru's attention."  
"There is one more thing I need to ask of you," Totosai croaked. "Come here."  
Mildly curious, the white prince sauntered over to the old man.  
"Sit down."  
"This had better not be a farce," he blandly threatened.  
"Believe me, it won't be," Totosai mumbled as he reached behind himself. "Open your mouth."  
The demon prince's eyebrow quirked the minutest amount as he attempted to say, "Why should I?"  
What he really said, however, was "why" simply because while his mouth was in between saying why and forming should, Totosai moved faster than he had in his entire life and robbed Sesshomaru of all four of his fangs.  
Mildly stunned, the white prince grabbed Totosai by the throat, his claws lightly glowing, a warning before his venom would seep out.  
"Speak swiftly, for I will not hold back much longer," he shook his hold slightly before continuing. "Why is it that you seized what is mine?"  
"Gah," Totosai gasped and squirmed, trying to speak. Sesshomaru let up slightly. "When…when the purified beads hit her neck…she'll need something to control the demon blood."  
Mouth feeling strangely hollow, he emitted a growl so low that no human and almost no demon could hear. He then uttered, "Do not presume to touch me again." And dropped Totosai gasping to the floor.  
He stood and sauntered out the door, a stunned group followed.

The next number of hours were spent in silence. Aphreal took her position at the rear flying high without complaint and Rin rode Ah-Un without a word as Sesshomaru let his nose guide him through the air, bounding off treetops as he went. Not that he really needed to follow his nose. It was well known by now that Inuyasha made his base the village of Edo. Still, the mild concentration of it allowed him to take his mind off of the indignation of losing his fangs to an old man and the hollow feeling in his mouth. Sure, his fangs would be back in about half a day, but still it did feel weird.  
Upon arriving at Edo, Sesshomaru smelled another holy woman nearby who had a scent similar, but not the same as Kikyou.  
'Hm, perhaps I won't have to deal with the annoying miko after all,' he thought, nearly smiling in his head.

Not many moments prior, Kaede paused from her dinner. Some local men had given her an offering of fish for her services earlier that month, so she combined it with some rice for herself. She was about halfway through one fish when she felt it, the distinct chill in the air. It settled all around her in waves, chilling her to the bone.  
"Youkai," she mumbled, abandoning her meal for the time being. Grabbing her bow and arrows, she left the safety of her home to meet the demon when he landed, lest he was to attack the villagers before she could get to him.  
Fortunately or unfortunately for her, he was standing there waiting just outside her door.

"Miko-_sama_," he drawled. "I am in need of your assistance."


End file.
